Transcript Document

Robust Vocabulary
Affects Comprehension
Margaret McKeown
[email protected]
UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH
Learning Research &
Development Center
LRDC
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Relationship of Vocabulary and
Comprehension
We’ve known for a long time . . .
Vocabulary knowledge is a
powerful predictor of reading
comprehension.
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What’s the Message?
It seems straightforward:
—teach meanings of words
But that didn’t work
—because that’s not what we need
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Vocabulary knowledge is a network
of connected concepts
What is the significance of that?
You don’t have a
dictionary in your head .
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What about Learning from Context?
Ella watched as Nora got smaller and
vanished
smaller and finally ________.
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What do you know?
Is vanished:
• more like disappear or go away?
• is it complete (might she be
microscopic?)
• always gradual?
• unexpected?
• deliberate?
• restricted to people?
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Where does vocabulary knowledge
come from?
Exposure: number of words children
heard at home (Hart & Risley)
• Dramatic differences by age 3
• Related to literacy in school at age 9
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Specifically, for example
 Vocabulary size in kindergarten
predicts reading comprehension
in the intermediate and middle
school years. (Snow)
 Orally-tested vocabulary at the
end of 1st grade predicts reading
comprehension 10 years later.
(Cunningham & Stanovich)
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What should instruction do?
Instruction needs to go beyond getting
students to associate words with their
definitions.
The complexity of the comprehension
process requires rapid and rich access
to word meanings.
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How do you get
“rapid and rich access”?
Provide learners:
• active engagement with word
meanings
• connections between new words
and what they already know
• frequent exposures in different
contexts
Stahl & Fairbanks (1986); Mezynski (1983)
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What’s the implication?
The Talkative Classroom
• Talk to kids.
• Give them lots of language
to think and play with!
• Inside and outside of
vocabulary class.
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From a Talkative Classroom OR
Vocabulary Overachievement
(2nd grade)
Teacher: If a rooster strutted into this
classroom right now, what would
you do?
Jack:
Ooh, ooh, ooh.
Teacher: OK, Jack.
Jack:
He might like be happy and he might
be jubilant walking in here because
he doesn’t know anybody and then
he wants to try to improve his skills.
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Within all that Talk
Kids Need to Learn:
Not words – how to use them
Not definitions – But connections
We need to learn how to fit words
into contexts so we can make sense
of contexts: context integration
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Examples of Context Integration
When the winners were announced, Sarah ran
up to console Meg: How did Meg do in the
contest?
(Newton Minnow: Address to the Broadcasting
Industry)
When Minnow writes about commercials as
cajoling, he is saying that commercials
a) are much louder than the programs
b) try to talk people into buying things
c) often do not tell the truth about products
d) are boring to watch
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Research Confirms
Decades of research on vocabulary
learning – classroom and laboratory
studies
• Exposure – lots of language
• Interaction – give and take around
language
• Connections – where words fit with
other words, experiences
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In Fact . . .
How fast we read any word is greatly
influenced by the quality and quantity of
semantic knowledge we have about it.
Having a richly connected, established
vocabulary (semantic network) is
physically reflected in the brain.
Maryann Wolf, Proust and the Squid
(2007,153-154)
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Direct Evidence for
Effective Features
Instruction
Encounters
Word
Knowledge
Compr
Traditional
Traditional
4
12
+
+
-
Rich/Robust
Rich/Robust
4
12
+
+
+
McKeown, Beck, Omanson & Pople (1985)
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Effective for All Learners?
English Language Learners:
• Carlo, M.S., August, D., McLaughlin, B., Snow,
C.E., Dressler, C., Lippman, D.N., Lively, T.J., &
White, C.E. (2004). Closing the gap:
Addressing the vocabulary needs of English
language learners in bilingual and mainstream
classrooms. Reading Research Quarterly, 39,
188–215.
Students with Learning Disabilities:
• Oral mode
• Frequency and intensity
• Engagement
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What about Younger Learners?
Study of instruction to increase
kindergarteners’ and first-graders’
knowledge of the meanings of
sophisticated words.
Why sophisticated words?
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Reminder: Sophisticated words - aka
Tier Two:
• high-utility words for mature
language users
• refined labels for concepts
children know
• dignified, appetite, supportive
• characterize written text
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Sophisticated words in kindergarten?
“From that day on, Jessica and her
rescuer were inseparable friends.”
(An Extraordinary Egg, Leo Lionni)
“Lisa was reluctant to leave without
Corduroy,but her mother insisted.”
(A Pocket for Corduroy, Don Freeman)
“His fingers were so delicate, . . . they
could hardly feel any pain.”
(Dr. De Soto, William Steig)
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Benefits of sophisticated words
for young students
• Provides opportunity to meet or master
such words
• Earlier-acquired word meanings are
more readily accessed in later life
• Provides a “down payment” on the
language children will meet in books
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Method
• Words taught in the context
of read-alouds
• All instruction oral
• Rich, interactive activities
• Learning assessed with:
 picture task
 verbal task
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Results
• In comparison to control children, K &
1st grade children learned a significant
number of taught words.
• Words that were given more instruction
showed more than twice the gains.
Beck, & McKeown, (2007).
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More Research on Vocabulary
with Young Children
Collins (2010). ELL Preschoolers’
English Vocabulary Acquisition. Early
Childhood Research Quarterly.
Coyne, McCoach, & Kapp, (2007).
Vocabulary intervention for kindergarten
students. Learning Disabilities Quarterly.
Silverman (2007). A Comparison of 3
Methods of Vocabulary Instruction in
Kindergarten. Elementary School Journal.
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What about Comprehension for
Young Learners?
Recent Study
• 8 classrooms of kindergartners
• Measures of word knowledge and
comprehension
We compared
• Repeated readings and word
explanations
• Story reading and Robust Instruction
• and a control condition--just story
reading
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How Do We Measure Comprehension
for Young Learners?
Context Integration - Explain a context
that contains a taught word.
Picture Task - Describe a picture that
‘suggests’ taught words.
Story comprehension - Listen to a story
that contains taught words. Recall the
story and answer questions.
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Context Integration
Jim had to insist that Freddy go on the
Merry-go-round.
—What did Freddy think about the
Merry-go-round?
When the other kids started to pet Sam’s
dog, the dog was affectionate.
—What was the dog doing?
When Trish played the tuba, her teacher
knew she was inspired.
—Why did her teacher think that?
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Picture Task
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What We Found
Word
Knowledge
Robust =
Repeated
Context
Robust >
Repeated
Picture
Robust >
Repeated
Robust &
Robust &
Robust &
Repeated > Repeated > Repeated >
Control
Control
Control
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No
difference
among
conditions
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Ingredients of Robust Instruction
• A meaningful context
• Word meaning: student friendly
explanations
• Multiple contexts
• Students interact with word meaning
• Lots of exposures
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Student-friendly Explanations
What is a friendly explanation?
Explanation of a word’s meaning in
everyday, connected language.
Which is friendlier?
conspicuous
Easily seen
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If something is
conspicuous you see it
right away because it
stands out
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Our context: A Pocket for Corduroy
Have fun reading the story!
Words to work with
reluctant
insisted
ponder
distraught
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steep
patient
inspired
eager
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Introductory Format
Story context: Reluctant: In
the story, Lisa was reluctant
to leave the laundromat
without Corduroy. That
means Lisa did not want to
leave the laundromat because
Corduroy was lost.
Friendly definition: When you are
reluctant you are worried about
doing something and you don’t
want to do it.
Context: You might be
reluctant to taste a new food
you never ate before
Interaction: Let’s think about
being reluctant. I will say some
things and if you think you would
be reluctant to do it, say
“reluctant.” If not, say “no!”
Holding a tarantula spider
Petting a kitten
Jumping out of a tall tree
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Instructional Sequence
Day 1: Read story. Introduce words
Day 2: (finish word introductions)
Follow up interactions
Day 3: Follow up interactions
Day 4: Follow up interactions
Day 5: Follow up interactions
review/assessment?
Forever: words available in classroom
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Follow-up Interactions
• Review with questions
• Contexts & Situations
• Actions with words
• Sentence stems
• Yes/No sentences
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Review with Questions
1. Does reluctant mean you don’t want to do
something or to be very excited?
2. What would you be reluctant to do: eat
something that smelled funny, or eat your
favorite cookie?
3. Does ponder mean to whisper, or to
wonder about something?
4. When would you ponder, if you were
telling someone a word you knew, or if
you were trying to figure out a new word?
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Context and Situations
Let’s think about the word reluctant:
• Why would you be reluctant to take out
the kitchen trash?
• What’s something else you’d be
reluctant to do?
Think about the word ponder:
• Why would you ponder your next move
in checkers?
• What’s something else you might
ponder?
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Actions with Words
Think about the word reluctant. If I
told you that it was time for gym class
but you were reluctant to go, what
would you look like? Act like you are
feeling reluctant to go to gym.
Think about the word ponder. If you
were pondering something, what
would you look like? Act like you are
pondering something.
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Sentence Stems
Write a sentence for the word cozy.
“I am cozy.”
So – try sentence stems:
My cat looks so cozy when ___________.
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Sentence Stems: Corduroy
I was reluctant to look out the window
because ________ .
I had to ponder when the teacher asked
us about ___________.
The art teacher inspired us to ________ .
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Yes / No Questions
When anyone asks my name, I have to
ponder.
After seeing Emma’s tower of blocks,
Kelly was inspired to build one herself.
Jan was reluctant to go outside when it
was stormy.
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The Classroom Conversation
T: Does inspired mean to feel excited
about something or to feel angry?
S: To be excited about something.
T: OK, excited—what’s something you’re
excited about doing?
S: Cause you scored a goal in soccer.
T: There you go—scored a goal in soccer!
And that makes you want to keep doing
better. It inspires you to keep up the
good job. I think we’re getting inspired
here about our vocabulary lesson.
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Extending the Talk
Pass good responses around
“Serena thinks the principal is always
patient—what does she mean by that?
“Mark is eager for a fire drill. What do you
think—do you agree? Why?”
“Andre says his little brother made his dog
distraught —what do you think he did to
him?”
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Extending the Talk, cont.
Provide opportunities for quick-takes
“What animal would you
want for a companion?”
“Did you have to fasten
anything this morning before
you got to school?”
“What’s the most nutritious
thing you’ve eaten today?”
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Staying Talkative
Morning message:
•Today is Tuesday. Let’s get inspired!
Question of the day:
Was anyone reluctant getting out of
bed this morning?
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Simple Resources for
Talkative Classrooms
Post words being learned on classroom
doors - Visitors can join the fun!
Word cards:
Before lunch, before dismissal—pick a card
and ask for a meaning/sentence/example.
Have magazines available - Ask students to
label pictures with vocabulary words.
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Challenge Students
Beyond the Classroom
Word Wizard
• Points for seeing,
hearing, using words
outside of school
• Points tallied on chart
in classroom
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And Finally . . .
Just for fun –
Do you have friends who send you
wild, adorable, or goofy pictures on
email?
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Pictures That are Worth 1,000 Words
Rex’s patience had
run out - his owner
was late again and he
was starved!
Susan left the Food
Network on all day
and Rex was inspired.
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Pictures That are Worth 1,000 Words
Kitty pondered
how she had
found herself in
this position.
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Kitty was reluctant
to climb out of
Mrs. Perkin’s
purse until the
barking died
down.
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